Over the past three decades, Paul Annacone, a native of East Hampton, has become one of the most sought-after tennis coaches on the professional circuit — coaching such greats as Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Stan Wawrinka, Sloane Stephens, and, for the last six years, Taylor Fritz, the current top-ranked American and 12th-ranked men’s player in the world.
Annacone is enthused about Fritz’s prospects, and said he feels that, at the age of 26, Fritz is on the precipice of winning his first major title.
“Taylor is right there and has all of the ability to win a major,” Annacone said last Thursday, while sitting at the outdoor players’ lounge at the U.S. Tennis Open, before heading to the Grandstand court with Fritz for a practice session.
“He has matured so much over the past few years, and I know he can do it. There are so many other great players near his level, so it’s not going to come easy. But he has the heart and desire. He wants to be the best. He’s very hard on himself.”
Fritz was to warm up with Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, who is currently ranked 19th in the world. Neither held back in the intense two-hour session on the court.
Annacone, 61, who lives near Los Angeles but keeps a place in East Hampton, is Fritz’s co-coach with Michael Russell.
Coaching Fritz, he said, is not much different coaching from the likes of Sampras and Federer, who combined won 34 major titles. “I continue to learn every day,” Annacone said. “If you are a tennis coach who is not learning and listening every day, you are just not going to last long in this business. It’s pretty simple.”
The right-handed Annacone achieved his career-best singles ranking — number 12 in the world, in 1985. A hard-charging serve-and-volleyer, Annacone played on the tennis tour until 1992, amassing a career singles win-loss record of 157-131. He won three singles titles during his career and was a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 1984.
But he achieved even greater success in playing doubles, where he came on top in 14 tournaments, including the Australian Open.
Unfortunately, Annacone rarely plays tennis anymore. “I’ve got a herniated disk in my back and really have not played for the past five years,” he said. “There are times when I’m at center court at Wimbledon or standing in the middle of Arthur Ashe here at the U.S. Open, and I sometimes wish I could go out and play.”
In addition to coaching, Annacone has also been a commentator for the Tennis Channel for many years, and is the author of the book “Coaching for Life: A Guide to Playing, Thinking and Being the Best You Can Be.”
“I still really enjoy what I do,” he said.
Annacone recalled how Fritz’s mother, Kathy, a former top-10-ranked player, had reached out to him for guidance and coaching for her young son nearly 10 years ago.
He had known her for many years, but was unsure whether he should take Fritz on at such a young age. “But I have no regrets at all. I truly love working with Taylor and Michael. It’s been a great partnership between us all. Taylor has also matured as a person and player, and he knows now what it takes to be a major champion.”
As for Fritz himself, he admires the dedication of Novak Djokovic, who is seeking a record 25th major title at the U.S. Open. “Yeah, it’s crazy to win that many, you know, and be that consistently just good,” he said at a press conference at the Open on Friday. “Like your just baseline average level just has to be so much better than everyone else’s. You know, it speaks to how much better someone is than everyone else. Because there are so many people just trying to get that one [major], trying to get one or two, a couple.”
“It’s amazing, and obviously the discipline throughout the year to never be satisfied and always want more is also just extremely impressive in itself,” he added of the 37-year-old Serbian.
Fritz is feeling good about his chances at the U.S. Open, especially after he and Tommy Paul won a bronze medal for Team U.S.A. in men’s doubles at the Paris Olympics.
“This year, the slam results have been pretty solid,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been performing well at the slams, playing three out of five sets. I’m feeling good, I’m feeling pretty confident about playing in the big tournaments right now.”
“At Taylor’s level, there are many players who have tremendous skills, and anyone can beat anyone,” added Annacone. “But I’d say it’s pretty close to 80-percent mental at this stage. Having that mental edge is vital.”
